"A [preacher] who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they are necessarily reflected in his [preaching]." — BXVI

17 March 2010

Coffee Bowl Browsing (Mini Edition)

A whole site dedicated to collecting stories about Shadow People. I've been "seeing" these guys since I was a kid. Never knew they had their own website! (h/t: Spirit Daily)

7 comments:

there are a couple shadow people at the hospital....always seen at the same place doing the same thing....by several different staff who compared notes after the fact.

most ofthe time they don't bother me. every now and again I get spooked, but for some reason music helps me feel better...(and the reason for traditionally breaking the glass at a Jewish wedding is???....)

I call on Saint Michael in times like that. BIG TIME. He and I have gotten to be very good friends. Funny thing is, I see them MORE when I am doing more to try to become closer to God. So, when I'm praying my Rosary daily, attending Mass more often, curbing my own desires and doing more sacrificial acts ... I see more of them, and have night terrors at times. And I have a friend who's told me the same thing happens to her - and they're QUITE clear to her.

I am an installed acolyte on the way to become a permanent deacon. I was serving as EMHC this past Sunday and, out of the corner of my eye, could see the shadow of someone standing to my right. It was not menacing or scary, it felt normal. Weird.

I read some of the stories on the shadowpeople website. The fact that they don't all evoke fear doesn't seem to me to make them benign. And these accounts don't read like apparitions from heaven. To some of them, there seems to be no point at all, which I wouldn't expect from a heavenly manifestation. I suspect that those which are not the product of fevered imaginations are mostly demonic.

If you think you see something out of the corner of your eye it could be a 'floater.

'Floaters: Small specks or clouds moving in your field of vision are called floaters. You may see them more clearly when looking at a plain background, such as a blank wall. Floaters are actually tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous, the clear jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of your eye. Floaters can have different shapes, such as little dots, circles, lines clouds or cobwebs.

While these objects look like they are in front of your eye, they are actually floating inside. What you see are the shadows they cast on the retina, the nerve layer at the back of the eye that senses light and allows you to see.

When people reach middle age, the vitreous gel may start to thicken or shrink, forming clumps or strands inside the eye. Floaters often occur when the vitreous gel pulls away from the back wall of the eye, causing a posterior vitreous detachment. In some cases the retina can tear if the shrinking vitreous gel pulls away from the wall of the eye. A torn retina is always a serious problem, since it can lead to a retinal detachment.

The appearance of floaters may be alarming, especially if they develop suddenly. You should see an ophthalmologist right away if you suddenly develop new floaters, especially if you are over 45 years of age.

Flashes: When the vitreous gel inside your eye rubs or pulls on the retina, you may see what look like flashing lights or lightning streaks. You may have experienced this same sensation if you have ever been hit in the eye and seen "stars".

The flashes of light can appear off and on for several weeks or months. As we grow older, it is more common to experience flashes. If you notice the sudden appearance of light flashes, you should visit your ophthalmologist immediately because it could mean that the retina has been torn.